16 Times We Realized Comedians Were Smarter Than Politicians

From Larry Wilmore to Julia Louis Dreyfus, comedy in 2015 was way more educational than the real news.

Between Charleston, Paris, Syria, Donald Trump, and too many more nightmares to mention, there’s been enough tragedy this year to fuel human anger and frustration for centuries to come. While our leaders around the globe keep letting us down—they can’t seem to get it into their heads that institutionalized racism, sexism, and classism is very real, and the root of everything—the sanity we needed came from an unlikely source in 2015: comedians. This year, it was more educational to watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver than CNN. Even legendary journalist Ted Koppel agrees: “You and your colleagues, who mix important subjects with humor, are in many respects focusing on more important issues than some of my old colleagues,” he said in a conversation with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. Comedy bolstered our fury, made us cry with laughter, and gave us a little confidence that at least someone knows what’s up. Here are all the times we realized comedians were 100% more woke than politicians in 2015.

4. When Lucy Lawless, Judah Friedlander, Bonnie McFarlane, and Larry Wilmore had this shrewd, hilarious discussion about paid family leave.

The issue at hand in this Nightly Show panel is the implication of Paul Ryan's announcement that he would take the position of Speaker of the House only if he could spend time with his family. But Ryan doesn't support paid family leave for those who really need it, which makes this whack as hell.

9. When Key & Peele pinpointed the importance of fixing the flaws in our education system.

In this skit from Key & Peele's "Severed Head Showcase" episode, the duo parodies ESPN and America's obsession with professional athletes by imagining what would happen if SportsCenter was actually TeachingCenter. Along the way, they spotlight the country's disregard of what is actually way more important than sports: education.